CFI Countdown: #14 Penn St. Nittany Lions

2008 Record: 11-2 (Big Ten 7-1)
Bowl Game: Lost Rose Bowl to USC 38-24
Location: University Park, Pennsylvania
Stadium: Beaver Stadium (107,282)
Head Coach: Joe Paterno
Overall: 381-129-3 (44th season)
@ Penn St. 381-129-3 (44th season)
Link to PSU Football Page

The Nittany Lions are coming off a season in which they won 11 games and a Big Ten title and although it didn’t end quite the way they wanted—a Rose Bowl loss to USC—Joe Paterno silenced any doubts his critics had. He proved—as if he had to—that he can still recruit and can still coach ’em up. With only nine starters back, this might be one of Paterno’s tougher coaching jobs considering the always-high expectations in Happy Valley.

When the Nittany Lions Have the Ball

Offensive Coordinator: Galen Hall (6th season)
Scheme: Spread HD
Starters Returning: Five
Key Losses: WR Deon Butler, Derrick Williams, WR Jordan Norwood, OT Gerald Cadogan, C A. Q. Shipley, OG Rich Ohmberger, K Kevin Kelly

Not many teams can rival what the Nittany Lions bring in the offensive backfield with senior signal caller Daryll Clark and junior tailback Evan Royster, a pair of likely All-Big Ten performers. Clark is an ideal quarterback for the spread offense as he is a capable thrower and runner. He is accurate, efficient, and possesses a strong arm, with excellent decision-making skills. He doesn’t run that much, instead picking his spots to tuck and run when the Nittany Lions need to move the chains or cross the goal line. Royster isn’t the biggest or the fastest, but he knows how to make opposing tacklers miss and uses his excellent vision to find holes. Backing him up is blazer Stephfon Green, who is still more potential than production. Look for Green to break off some big runs after Royster has worn the defense down. The offensive line and wide receiving corps is not as sound. Gone are three first-team All-Big Ten performers along the offensive line and three of their top-four all-time pass catchers. The center position is solid, with junior Stefen Wisniewski moving over from guard, but they must replace their left tackle and break new guards into the starting lineup. At receiver the feeling is they have talent, but it is unproven. Helping out the passing game could be a talented duo at tight end—Andrew Quarless has a lot of potential and Mickey Shuler is as solid as they come.

Top Pro Prospects: 1) C/OG Stefen Wisniewski (JR), 2) RB Evan Royster (JR), 3) TE Andrew Quarless (SR)

When the Other Team Has the Ball

Defensive Coordinator: Tom Bradley (10th season)
Scheme: 4-3
Starters Returning: Four
Key Losses: DE Aaron Maybin, DE Maurice Evans, DE Josh Gaines, LB Cameron Wake, CB Lydell Sargeant, CB Tony Davis, S Anthony Scirrotto, S Mark Rubin

They must replace three productive defensive ends and the entire back four—both the last line of defense as well as key components to the front line—no easy task for any defense. They are solid up the middle, with tackles Jared Odrick and Ollie Ogbu. Odrick in particular is a difference-maker—a 300-pounder with the ability to clog the middle and enough quickness to make plays. The ends are not as secure, where Aaron Maybin’s explosiveness will surely be missed. There is talent, but as is the case at receiver, it is mostly unproven. The entire secondary is brand new, which wasn’t helped by corner A. J. Wallace missing classes and looking at a suspension. The senior is the most experienced of the defensive backs and has some playmaking skills. There are high hopes for sophomore safety Drew Astorino. The strength of the defense should be the linebacking corps where they return starters Navorro Bowman and Josh Hull, as well as Sean Lee from his injury-induced red-shirt season. According to all accounts, Lee is healthy and should be back to his productive self. Both Lee and Bowman have the ability to be disruptive forces and first-team all conference performers. Even so, this unit has already suffered a major loss, as projected starter Michael Mauti is out for the season. He was slated to take over at one outside linebacker spot and allow Lee to slide over to the MIKE (instead of Hull).

Top Pro Prospects: 1) DT Jared Odrick (SR), 2) LB Navorro Bowman (JR), 3) LB Sean Lee (SR)

The Schedule

The out of conference schedule is not impressive, not in the least bit. PSU plays Eastern Illinois, Akron, Syracuse, and Temple—and they play them all at home! Last season Syracuse was 3-9, both Akron and Temple finished 5-7 in the MAC, the same record as Eastern Illinois, a FCS school. What, The Little Sisters of the Poor were busy? In conference the schedule breaks their way as well, not that missing Purdue is a good thing. (They also miss Wisconsin this season.) Their two toughest games, Iowa and Ohio St., should be white-outs in Happy Valley. They do play a quartet of potentially dangerous road contests at Michigan St., Illinois, Northwestern, and Michigan.

Pivotal Point

Player development. Before last season, Aaron Maybin and Navorro Bowman weren’t exactly household names, yet they emerged as the key pieces to a defense that finished eighth in scoring, total, and rushing defense. Bowman led the team in tackles and tackles for a loss against the run, while Maybin paced the conference in sacks. They will need similar progress on their offensive line, at defensive end, wide receiver, and in the secondary. If tackle DeOn’tae Pannell, wide out Chaz Powell, and defensive end Jack Crawford become recognizable names, a second straight Big Ten title might in the stars.

CFI Final Analysis

The fact that they open the season with Akron, Syracuse, and Temple at home before hosting the Iowa Hawkeyes to open up the Big Ten season gives Paterno and his staff three games to work in the 13 new starters. This team can really go either way in the Big Ten and it’s hard to rank them any higher until we know more about their blockers, who their pass rushers will be, and how they replace four starters in the secondary, not to mention three of the best receivers in school history. They won’t take a major step back, but don’t expect another Big Ten crown either.


College Football Insiders Top 25 Countdown:
The Next 25 (26-50) Plus 18 Bowl Teams
#25 West Virginia Mounainteers
#24 Tennessee Volunteers
#23 Clemson Tigers
#22 Pittsburgh Panthers
#21 Michigan St. Spartans
#20 Utah Utes
#19 Oregon Ducks
#18 Florida St. Seminoles
#17 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
#16 Boise St. Broncos
#15 North Carolina Tar Heels

Big Ten - Best Single-Game Performances

By JOHN SEARS - BIG TEN INSIDER

6. Eric Decker (Minnesota) against Indiana: 13 receptions and 190 yards, both conference season highs. (For Michigan and Illinois: lucky we are excluding non-Big Ten opponents for best receiving performances).

5. K.C. Lopata (Michigan) against Minnesota: five field goals and two PATs gave the Michigan man 17 points single-handedly. Minnesota finished with one-third (6) of the total output by Lopata in a lopsided victory for Michigan (?!) for the Little Brown Jug. Did that really happen?

4. Juice Williams (Illinois) against Michigan: Williams single-handedly brought down the [Big] House with a stadium record of 431 total yards of total offense and four touchdowns, only to be out-done next week by…

3. Juice Williams (Illinois) against Minnesota: This time, Williams accounted for a whopping 503 yards of offense (conference high)--462 passing (also conference high) and 41 rushing. That’s 924 yards and six touchdowns in two weeks. Unfortunately, these great numbers came in a losing effort.

2. Shonn Greene (Iowa) against Wisconsin: 217 yards and four touchdowns in by far and away his best performance of an already celebrated, accomplished season. He accumulated at least 100 yards rushing in every game, and finished with a second-best 17 touchdowns.

1. Daryll Clark (Penn State) against Michigan State: When all the Big Ten marbles and a ticket to Pasadena were at stake, Clark achieved personal season bests for yards/attempt (13.1), rating (222.5), yards (341) and touchdowns (five).

Tomorrow: Best Video Game Performance (Performances that can only be believed if they were played out on a controller with too many buttons)

Photo Credit: Illinois Sports Information

O'Brien Semifinalists go head-to-head in week thirteen

FORT WORTH, Texas (November 19, 2008) - The 2008 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award® (The O'Brien) Semifinalist Match-up for week 13 highlights the highly anticipated duel between O'Brien Semifinalists Graham Harrell of Texas Tech and Sam Bradford of Oklahoma. Fans can show their support for these two candidates, as well as any of the other 13 Semifinalists, by visiting www.VoteOBrien.org and casting their vote as often as once daily. The Fan Vote will count as 5% in determining the Finalists.

Semifinalist Marquee Match-up:

Texas Tech (Graham Harrell) at Oklahoma (Sam Bradford)
Saturday, November 22 at 7 p.m. (CST) on ABC
The quest for control of the Big 12 South comes down to Saturday's battle between the Red Raiders, led by Harrell, and the Sooners, quarterbacked by Bradford. Both teams enter this match-up coming off bye weeks and are ready to go head-to-head. Harrell and the No. 2 (BCS) Red Raiders travel to Norman, Okla. with their highest ranking in school history. The senior quarterback has completed at least 30 passes in four-straight games and has passed for more than 400 yards in three of the four. Harrell continues to lead the nation in passing (4,077 yards) and completed 80 percent of his passes for six touchdowns and no interceptions in Tech's last game against Oklahoma State. A victory over the Sooners would add to the Raiders' perfect 10-0 record and solidify their spot in Kansas City, Mo. for the Big 12 Championship game. As a sophomore, Bradford has proven himself a top contender in the midst of the Big 12 quarterback rivalry. The signal caller for the Sooners tops the national rankings with 38 touchdown passes and ranks second in quarterback rating (188.94). Bradford set a school record with 32 career completions for 40 or more yards, breaking the previous record of 29 set by 2003 and 2004 O'Brien Winner, Jason White. In Oklahoma's most recent game against Texas A&M, Bradford led the No. 5 Sooners to a 66-28 victory over the Aggies. He completed 22-of-33 passes for 320 yards with no interceptions and accounted for five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing).

Additional Semifinalist Games (alphabetical by last name):

Daryll Clark: Michigan State at Penn State
Saturday, November 22 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on ABC
Last weekend Clark led the Nittany Lions to a definitive 34-7 win over Indiana, proving their top ten ranking in the polls after a loss the previous week to Iowa. The junior quarterback now turns his focus toward Michigan State as No. 8 Penn State looks to finish the season at the top of the Big Ten.

Max Hall: BYU at Utah
Saturday, November 22 at 5 p.m. (CST) on The Mountain
The Cougars will wrap-up their conference play as they take on the No. 7 Utah Utes and fight to claim a piece of the Mountain West Conference title. Hall enters Saturday's game after going 28-of-37 for 354 yards and two touchdowns, directing BYU to a 38-24 victory over Air Force.

David Johnson: Tulane at Tulsa
Saturday, November 22 at 2 p.m. (CST)
Johnson and the Golden Hurricanes return to their home field after a heartbreaking loss on-the-road to the Houston Cougars. The senior quarterback threw for four touchdowns, completing 62.1 percent of his passes and now looks to help rebound his team as they take on the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday.

Tim Tebow: Citadel at Florida
Saturday, November 22 at 12:30 p.m. (CST) on ESPN360.com and ESPN GamePlan
Tebow accounted for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) last weekend as the No. 4 Gators routed the South Carolina Gamecocks 56-6 at home. With a 9-1 record, Florida prepares to host The Citadel at The Swamp on Saturday.

About The O'Brien Fan Vote
Fans can now register and vote for The O'Brien Fan Vote online at www.VoteOBrien.org to show their support for their favorite Semifinalist. The Fan Vote will count as 5% in determining the Finalists and Winner. The 2008 Winner will be announced during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing December 11 on ESPN. The recipient will be honored February 16, 2009, at the 32nd Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

Fans can download an interactive "widget" featuring a voting link and the ability to post and share on Web sites, social networks and blogs by clicking here.

Fans can also show their support by adding The O'Brien Facebook application to their Facebook Profile. The new application can be found by searching O'Brien Fan Vote and clicking the applications tab or by clicking here.

About The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award®
The O'Brien honors the nation's best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O'Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O'Brien is overseen by the Davey O'Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $750,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

O'Brien Award: Marquee Match-up for Week Eleven

FORT WORTH, Texas (November 5, 2008) - The 2008 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award® (The O'Brien) Semifinalist Match-up for week 11 highlights a Big 12 duel featuring O'Brien Semifinalists Zac Robinson and Graham Harrell. Fans can show their support for Robinson and Harrell, as well as any of the other 13 Semifinalists, by visiting www.VoteOBrien.org and casting their vote once daily. The Fan Vote will count as 5% in determining the Finalists.

Semifinalist Marquee Match-up

Oklahoma State (Zac Robinson) at Texas Tech (Graham Harrell)
Saturday, November 8 at 7 p.m. (CST) on ABC
The city of Lubbock will host The O'Brien Marquee Match-up for the second week in a row as Oklahoma State's Zac Robinson and Texas Tech's Graham Harrell square off on Saturday. Robinson and the Cowboys have an 8-1 record and No. 9 ranking (BCS). They now look to upset the Red Raiders and stake their claim in the Big 12 South. Robinson completed 18-of-27 passes for 395 yards and five touchdowns last week, leading his team to a 59-17 victory over Iowa State. The junior quarterback from Littleton, Colo. has the top quarterback rating in the conference (192.46), which ranks the second-highest in the nation. Robinson is also second in the Oklahoma State record book for total offense with 6,583 yards. Senior Harrell directs the potent offense of the second-ranked Red Raiders into this match-up after defeating the former No. 1 Texas Longhorns 39-33. Harrell completed more than 67 percent of his passes for two touchdowns and no interceptions. He continues to lead the nation in passing with 3,621 yards, and his 14-yard pass in the second quarter made him the school's career completions leader. Both Semifinalists lead their teams into this nationally spotlighted game with hopes of taking another step toward the Big 12 conference championship in Kansas City.

Additional Semifinalist Games

Sam Bradford: Oklahoma at Texas A&M
Saturday, November 8 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on ABC
Bradford and the Sooners once again proved their place in the polls after a convincing 62-28 defeat of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The sophomore quarterback posted five touchdowns, completing more than 70 percent of his passes. Bradford leads the No. 6 Sooners to College Station to clash with Texas A&M on Saturday.

Daryll Clark: Penn State at Iowa
Saturday, November 8 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on ABC
After a bye week, Clark will return to the field on Saturday as the Nittany Lions take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. The junior quarterback has led his team to a No. 3 ranking and currently ranks first in the Big Ten with a quarterback rating of 148.53.

Chase Daniel: Kansas State at Missouri
Saturday, November 8 at 6 p.m. (CST) on FSN
Daniel and the Tigers will host Kansas State in front of a home crowd Saturday for Senior Day. Mizzou and its senior quarterback return to Columbia for this sold-out game after defeating the Baylor Bears 31-28 in Waco.

Max Hall: San Diego State at BYU
Saturday, November 8 at 1 p.m. (CST) on The Mountain
Hall and the 8-1 Cougars will face San Diego State Saturday after defeating the Colorado State Rams 45-42 on the road. Hall completed 80 percent of his passes for five touchdowns on Saturday and enters this game as the Mountain West Conference's leader in both quarterback rating (166.86) and passing yards (2,753).

Colt McCoy: Baylor at Texas
Saturday, November 8 at 11 a.m. (CST) on FSN
McCoy and the Longhorns look to bounce back from an emotional loss at Texas Tech as they return to their home field in Austin. The junior quarterback has maintained a 79 percent completion percentage this season and will direct the No. 4 Longhorns against the Baylor Bears on Saturday.

Todd Reesing: Kansas at Nebraska
Saturday, November 8 at 1:30 p.m. (CST)
Reesing and the Jayhawks will hit the road this weekend after a definitive 52-21 victory over rival Kansas State. Reesing accounted for two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) on Saturday and will now turn his focus towards the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Mark Sanchez: California at USC
Saturday, November 8 at 7 p.m. (CST) on ABC
USC will host the California Bears of the Pac-10 on Saturday under the leadership of junior quarterback Sanchez. The 7-1 Trojans hold a No. 7 ranking after a 56-0 shutout of the Washington Huskies, during which Sanchez completed more than 78 percent of his passes and contributed three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing).

Matthew Stafford: Georgia at Kentucky
Saturday, November 8 at 11:30 a.m. (CST) on ESPN360.com and Raycom
Stafford and the Georgia Bulldogs continue their conference play in the SEC as they square off against the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. Under the direction of junior Stafford, the Bulldogs look to rebound after their second loss of the season when they fell to the Florida Gators in Jacksonville.

Tim Tebow: Florida at Vanderbilt
Saturday, November 8 at 7 p.m. (CST) on ESPN2
2007 O'Brien Winner Tebow defended his title on Saturday when he led the Gators to a 49-10 win over SEC rival Georgia. He completed more than 76 percent of his passes for two touchdowns and no interceptions. Tebow extended the Gators' record for rushing touchdowns to 39, surpassing the previous mark of 36 held by Emmitt Smith.

John Parker Wilson: Alabama at LSU
Saturday, November 8 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on CBS
Wilson leads the Alabama Crimson Tide into Baton Rouge as they battle the defending National Champions, the LSU Tigers, in Death Valley. Wilson led his team to a 35-0 shutout over Arkansas State, bolstering the undefeated Crimson Tide to a No. 1 ranking.

About The O'Brien Fan Vote

Fans can now register and vote for The O'Brien Fan Vote online at www.VoteOBrien.org to show their support for their favorite college quarterback. Fans will be able to choose from any of the 119 FBS quarterbacks beginning on Tuesday, September 2, leaving room for the possibility of a quarterback who is not on the Watch List to win the award. The top three quarterbacks who garner the most votes will be added to The O'Brien Semifinalist List, and the Fan Vote will then count as 5% in determining the Finalists and Winner. The 2008 Winner will be announced during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing December 11 on ESPN. The recipient will be honored February 16, 2009, at the 32nd Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

Fans can also download an interactive "widget" at www.DaveyOBrien.org/FAN/fan_widgets.asp featuring a voting link and the ability to post and share on Web sites, social networks and blogs.

Fans can show their support by adding The O'Brien Facebook application to their Facebook Profile. The new application can be found by searching O'Brien Fan Vote and clicking the applications tab.

2008 O’Brien Quarterback Award Semifinalists Announced

FORT WORTH, Texas (October 27, 2008) – The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award® (The O’Brien) today proudly announced its 2008 Semifinalist List. The list highlights 13 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) quarterbacks who will vie for the award honoring the nation’s best quarterback until Finalists are announced November 24.


2008 O’Brien Semifinalists
Sam Bradford SO Oklahoma Big 12
Daryll Clark JR Penn State Big Ten
Chase Daniel SR Missouri Big 12
Max Hall JR BYU MWC
Graham Harrell SR Texas Tech Big 12
David Johnson SR Tulsa C-USA
Colt McCoy JR Texas Big 12
Todd Reesing JR Kansas Big 12
Zac Robinson JR Oklahoma State Big 12
Mark Sanchez JR USC Pac-10
Matthew Stafford JR Georgia SEC
Tim Tebow JR Florida SEC
John Parker Wilson SR Alabama SEC

“These candidates represent a high level of talent from coast to coast,” said Danielle Moorman, executive director of the Davey O’Brien Foundation. “The O’Brien is proud to highlight these young men, not only for their elite quarterback skills, but for their qualities of character and leadership that the award is committed to honoring.”

Semifinalists were selected by The O’Brien Selection Committee, comprised of journalists, broadcasters, commentators and former winners, as well as fans across the country with the top three quarterbacks from The O’Brien Fan Vote being added to the list. The Selection Committee is asked to evaluate each candidate on his quarterback skills, athletic ability, academics, character, leadership, sportsmanship and reputation as a team player. For a complete listing of O’Brien Selection Committee members, click here.

These 13 Semifinalists will contend for the award until the list is narrowed to three Finalists on November 24. All Finalists will be in attendance in Orlando, Fla., where The O’Brien Winner will be announced during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing December 11. The recipient will be honored February 16, 2009, at the 32nd Annual O’Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

Fans are able to vote for Semifinalist candidates once daily at www.VoteOBrien.org. The voting will continue throughout the Semifinalist and Finalist rounds with 5% of the final tally coming directly from the Fan Vote.

About The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award®
The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O’Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O’Brien is overseen by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $750,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.